Hospitals and clinical laboratories perform many clinical chemical analyses on blood, urine or other body fluids. The analyses may be conducted to determine levels of cholesterol, glucose, triglycerides, bilirubin and the like. Tests may also be conducted to identify the presence and/or level of certain components such as calcium or phosphorus in body fluids. Other tests may be performed to identify the presence and/or level of hormones.
Clinical chemical laboratories generally are required to provide a plurality of different test results for each sample submitted for analysis. In particular, the laboratory may be requested to identify levels of cholesterol, LDH, HBDH and triglycerides from the blood sample for a particular patient. A complete laboratory work-up may involve tests to identify levels of many more substances. Diagnostic tests for each substance generally must be carried out separately by the clinical chemical laboratory. In particular, the test for each substance is carried out by presenting a controlled portion of the sample submitted for analysis to a particular reagent. The amount of the sample and the amount and type of reagent will vary depending upon the particular substance being tested for. A complete clinical laboratory work-up may involve dividing a blood sample into twenty different parts which are then mixed in twenty different reagent containers for analysis.
Most clinical chemical analysis has been substantially automated. In particular, the samples to be tested may be stored in opened containers which are accessed by robotic probes which advance into the liquid sample, withdraw a specified amount of the sample, and deliver the sample to a reagent container. The reagent may be selected to enable a colorometric test. In particular, the reagent with the sample therein may produce a color when subjected to electromagnetic excitation. The particular color produced may be identified by polychromatic optical sensors which are operative to identify the wave length of light passed through the reagent with the sample therein. The specific wave length sensed by the polychromatic optical sensor is then employed to identify either the presence or level of the substance being tested for. The equipment used to perform these diagnostic tests may also be operative to read bar codes or color codes to identify the patient sample, and to identify the particular substance and reagent being tested for.
The reagent employed to complete each test generally is produced by mixing a concentrated reagent in liquid or powder form with a diluent or buffer. The type of diluent or buffer being employed will depend in part upon the reagent and the substance being tested for in the sample. In some instances the diluent or buffer will be water or a buffer. The powder or concentrated liquid reagent generally will have a fairly long useful life. However, the life will be shortened substantially after the concentrated reagent is mixed with the diluent.
Additionally, the storage requirements may vary depending upon the particular mixture of reagent and diluent. Some diluted reagents may require refrigeration, while others may require storage at room temperature. These various storage requirements for the combined reagent/diluent create tremendous inventory control problems. Improperly stored mixtures can result in inaccurate test results. In view of these inventory and storage problems, many clinical chemical laboratories defer mixing the concentrated reagents with the diluent or buffer until shortly prior to the actual performance of tests. This inherently requires on-site mixing of the reagent and the diluent or buffer. Such on-site mixing of reagents has several disadvantages, including the time required for laboratory technicians to perform the mixing and the significant possibility of incorrect proportions or contamination, either of which could substantially affect the test results. Additionally, this need to mix reagents and diluents or buffers shortly prior to performing tests can force clinical chemical laboratories into less than optimum testing schedules. In particular, the laboratories may be forced into routines where they will test a plurality of different samples for one substance to enable the reagent required for that substance to be used shortly after mixing. This can result in a longer turn around time to produce a complete test report for each patient/sample and can add to the complexities of matching test results to patient samples.
In view of the above, it is an object of the subject invention to provide containers for facilitating the mixing of reagents with diluents or buffers.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide reagent containers that eliminate on-site measuring of reagents and diluents at the clinical laboratory.
A further object of the subject invention is to provide reagent containers that minimize inventory control problems for reagents and diluents.
Still another object of the subject invention is to provide an apparatus to enable precise mixing of reagents and diluents or buffers immediately prior to performing tests therewith.